Many With Schizophrenia Say They're Happy: Study

TUESDAY, Aug. 19, 2014 -- Even though schizophrenia is one of the most severe forms of mental illness, nearly 40 percent of people with the disorder say they're happy, new research contends.

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, surveyed 72 schizophrenia patients, ranging in age from 23 to 70, living in the San Diego area, and found that 37 percent said they were happy all or most of the time.

Their happiness wasn't related to the length or severity of their mental illness, to their mental or physical status, or to factors such as age and education. Instead, their happiness was associated with positive mental and social characteristics such as optimism, resilience and lower stress levels, the researchers said.

The findings are valuable because these positive traits can be taught to many people, said the authors of the study, which was published online Aug. 18 in the journal Schizophrenia Research.

"People tend to think that happiness in schizophrenia is an oxymoron," senior author Dr. Dilip Jeste, a professor of psychiatry and neurosciences, said in a university news release.

"Without discounting the suffering this disease inflicts on people, our study shows that happiness is an attainable goal for at least some schizophrenia patients. This means we can help make these individuals' lives happier," Jeste added.

By way of comparison, about 83 percent of people without schizophrenia said they were happy most or all of the time. And none of the people without schizophrenia said they were never or rarely happy, compared with about 15 percent of those with the mental disorder.

"People with schizophrenia are clearly less happy than those in the general population at large, but this is not surprising," study lead author Barton Palmer, a professor in the university's department of psychiatry, said in the news release.

"What is impressive is that almost 40 percent of these patients are reporting happiness and that their happiness is associated with positive psychosocial attributes that can be potentially enhanced," Palmer added.

The study was funded, in part, by the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

According to the NIMH, schizophrenia is a chronic, severe and disabling brain disorder. People with the disorder may hear voices other people don't hear, they may believe other people are reading their minds, controlling their thoughts or plotting to harm them. This can make them withdrawn or extremely agitated.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health has more about schizophrenia.